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Hot Stove Roundup: Skippers remain in news

Hot Stove Roundup: Skippers remain in news

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Colletti, Mattingly recap 2013 5:08

Courtney Jones recaps the end of the season news conference of Ned Colletti and Don Mattingly

By Joey Nowak and Adam Berry
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MLB.com |

As Hot Stove talks heat up about free agents across baseball, one manager was introduced on Thursday; could another be on his way to a multiyear deal? Take a look at Thursday's biggest offseason stories, including news of talks between skipper Don Mattingly and the Dodgers:

• The Cubs officially introduced Rick Renteria as the club's 53rd manager with a three-year contract plus two option years on Thursday. He's the fourth skipper in the last five seasons, but he expects this team to be able to compete immediately.

• Could the next managerial news be out of Los Angeles? The Dodgers have talked with manager Don Mattingly about a contract extension, according to MLB.com's Ken Gurnick, but no deal is imminent. Mattingly is under contract for next season because a club option vested when Los Angeles advanced to the National League Championship Series.

• If you're the Red Sox, what kind of changes do you make to a roster that just won the World Series? General manager Ben Cherington has plenty of work to do, but much of it will have to do with which free agents stay in Boston and which move on.

• FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal was first to report that Ervin Santana is seeking a five-year, $100 million deal, which may leave the Royals out of contention for the starting pitcher. If they do miss out on the righty, they will receive a compensatory Draft choice since they made him a qualifying offer of one year and $14.1 million.

• The Rangers signed left-hander Martin Perez to a four-year contract through 2017 with club options for '18, '19 and '20. The Rangers Rookie of the Year, who will turn 23 in April, was already under team control through the 2018 season, so his long-term extension essentially just buys out his arbitration-eligible years and, if all three options are picked up, delays him from entering free agency for another two years.

• Rosenthal wrote that it would make sense for outfielder Curtis Granderson to decline the Yankees' qualifying offer and explore the free-agent market, drawing a comparison to Nick Swisher, who cashed in on the open market last winter. Rosenthal also noted on Twitter that the Yankees might have to pay more than $14.1 million to retain right-hander Hiroki Kuroda, considering the threat that he could return to pitch in Japan.

MLB.com's Phil Rogers says the Cubs and White Sox should make a play for Granderson, the "hometown treasure."

• Agent Scott Boras appeared on ESPN writer Keith Law's "Behind the Dish" podcast on Thursday to discuss several of his free-agent clients. Boras described center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury as a "game changer for a lot of franchises" and said Ellsbury and Shin-Soo Choo "have the ability to bat third in the lineup, and they have the ability to lead off."

• Boras said shortstop Stephen Drew "could really change the dynamic of the production" of seven or eight teams' infield "by having that kind of power and that kind of defense on their team." Boras also argued that switch-hitting first baseman/designated hitter Kendrys Morales has "a resume that, frankly, few hitters have in this market -- the only one other than [Robinson] Cano who you can say has the ability to be a run producer in the middle of the lineup" due to his power from both sides of the plate.

• MLB.com's Chris Haft reports that Giants reliever Javier Lopez has seen interest from a "significant number" of teams, including the Giants. He would like to return to San Francisco.

Joey Nowak is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter at @joeynowak. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.